Grape vineyard cultivator



Sept. 23, 1952 CRAIN 2,611,309

GRAPE VINEYARD CULTIVATOR Filed. Sept. 25, 1946 2 SHEET -SHEET 1 Sept. 23, 1952 CRA|N GRAPE VINEYARD CULTIVATOR 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed Sept. 23, 1946 M m. 2 b ,4 WT M. M I l m 4 w H #1 1" ql w W In 5 m! m. Eg -5% a Z w M D A Patented Sept. 23, 1952 UNITED STATES Parent orries -GRAPE VINEYARDCULTIV'AT'OR- .J-oel "AcCrain, Clovis, Calif. ApplicationSeptemher 23, 19.46, SerialNo. 69 8355} Ihe present invention relates toa grape cultivating -machine intended for attachment as a side car to a traotor-by which itcan' be pulled overthe ground'for-preparing the soil. In other words myinvention is 'a'row' crop implement for tilling the soil, more particularly related to grape cultivation.

One embodiment of this invention is shown on the attached drawings andffully described in the subjoined description, by which theconstruction ifF-igure ivis a detail View on an: enlarged scale 'takenoniaiplane along line 444 of Figurel; and

Figure .5 a similar view taken-along line's-+5 of Figure 3 and partly in section.

Reference numeral ill denotes in general a rigid cultivator structure, which comprises left and right rectangular side frames, formed by upper and lower rods H and 12, the ends of which are connected in a suitable manner as by welding or couplings I5 to arcuate transverse members l3 and [4, all of tubular rods, forming together a rigid main structure. Midway between the ends of each of the upper side rods II is fixed, as by bolts or other suitable means, a hearing bracket H6 in which is pivoted to oscillate, one of two shaft ends l8 of an operating lever H, which lever is arcuate and reaches from the left to the right side of the main cultivator structure it. The shaft ends is of said lever extend outwardly beyond said bearings It on both sides and the right one has fixed thereon a short arm 19 having link connection 20 with the upper end of one of two straight, two armed levers 2i, pivoted in the middle as at 22 on the lower frame rod 12. At the lower end of the right lever2 the wheel axle 23 is secured for carrying the ground wheel 24. There are two wheels 24, 2th on the outer or right side of the cultivator ill. The second wheel 2%, being arranged in tandem with the first wheel 24, but carried on the second two armed levers 2| on a second bearing 22b, is secured further back on the same frame rod [2. A long connecting rod 25 pivotally couples the two upper ends of the front and rear lever arms 2| so that both wheels avheels' have' 1 erating lever 'l' -is turned from the full line position the dotte'd-lin'epositionlindicated' in Fig.-

*conneoted le'y' a dink 28a tothe 1 short outer arm :saon-the inn'enrfnr left pivot end 18 of the lever 'il. -'-I-n--c rder to aid in' lifting or'lowering the cultivator 'l-fl on the three wheele il lband 25;- a-secon'd lever i la is providedon the left or tractor---e1fd-'l8 of the arcuate lever l'ly-so-that -a'll-thr ee wheels can be swung either vby the mididle lever fl *or' the second-lever i I 1d.

f Thfe -"main 'cultivating "implements are two pointed-shovels 28, each mounted on arigid shaft '2-9 fwhich' "is {supported for fslidable adjustment,

upiand 'down,in a sleevdtdcarried on a transverse'stub a'xlei'*3l .which"is slidable in'an'd out in jaiclam'ping sleeve'j32. :Said "sleeve" 32 forms ..a permanent fixture at the'free end of a tubular arm 33 which is hinged for slight sideways motion by a universal hinge member 34 on the short front bar I la and pointing rearwardly on the cultivator l0.

The clamping sleeve 32 has a yielding transverse support such as chain 35 for connecting the tubular arm with the adjacent side rod H. On the lower side rod I2 is fastened one end of a flat spring strip 3?, which abuts at its free end 7 against the tubular arm 33 to hold said arm and the shovel 28, for yielding movement in lateral direction.

Lastly there is provided a pair of pointed pinbreak members 36 with their pointed ends close to the shovels 23 around the front ends of which they are curved from their securing place on the tubular arms 33 on which they are bolted.

It will be noted that the pair of shovels 28 can be adjusted up and down to regulate depth of cut by shifting the shanks 29 in their sleeves 30 and securing them by set screws therein at desired height.

likewise the shovels 28 may be set closer together or further apart as required, by shifting the stub axles 3i laterally in the sleeves 32.

The cultivator ID is held to the side of a tractor body 38 by means of a pair of braces 3-9, 40 hinged one at each end of the lower side rod I 2; the other ends of these braces 39, 40 are hinged to a beam or fixed portion of the tractor body 38 so that the cultivator I0 always advances 3 with the tractor in the direction of arrow X. Figure 3.

In operation the cultivator works as follows:

Supposing that the cultivator is attached to the tractor 38 as described and the cultivator wheels 24, 24b and 26 are in the dotted position, Figure 2, with the cultivator l and the shovels above the ground; by now throwing back the operating levers I1, and Na the positions will then be as indicated by full lines and the cultivator l0 lowered so that the shovels 28 and the members 36 are ready to enter the soil.

It is to be understood that the invention as herein disclosed may be varied from the details described and shown without departure from the spirit of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. In a cultivator for grape vineyards and the like, a frame comprising pairs of oppositely disposed upper and lower side members, arched transverse end members connecting the front and rear ends of said side members, a pair of levers spacedly pivoted intermediate their ends to the lower side member at one side of said frame, another lever pivoted intermediate its ends to the lower side member at the opposite side of said frame, axles projecting laterally outward from the lower ends of said levers, ground wheels on said axles, a lever of arched form disposed transversely of said frame midway between the front and rear ends thereof, outwardly di rected extensions at the opposite ends of said arched lever, bearings centered on the upper side members of said frame for said extensions, a hand lever mounted on the outer end of one of said extensions, an arm extending radially from each of said extensions, links connecting said arms with the upper ends of the first levers whereby the ground wheels can be raised and lowered upon the actuation of said hand lever, a pair of transversely aligned members extending inwardly from the front ends of the lower side members of said frame, a pair of elongated elements of different lengths extending rearwardly in parallel relation from said aligned members, ground working elements dependingly supported from the rear ends of said elongated elements, and draft coupling means offset from one side of said frame.

2. The cultivator as defined in claim 1, with the said elongated elements each hinged to the complemental of said transversely aligned members for lateral swinging movements, clamping sleeve carried at the rear ends of said elongated elements, an inwardly directed stub shaft supported in each of said sleeves, a shaft supported at one end from the inner end of each of said stub shafts and extending diagonally downward in a forward direction therefrom, said ground working elements being mounted on the lower end of the diagonally disposed shafts, flexible elements extending from the upper of the side members of said frame and connecting the free ends of said elongated elements to lend support thereto, and spring elements associated with each of said elongated members to allow limited lateral swinging movements thereto whenever the ground working elements meet with an obstruction in the paths of travel of the same.

JOEL A. GRAIN.

' REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

